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Clark stared blankly at Martha, standing at the front of the school bus, completely unaware that water was flooding in, now up to his chest. The students, trapped in the sinking bus, screamed in terror, trying to escape.
But the current swept in too fast, pulling those who attempted to flee back into the bus.
Bang! Bang!
The dull sound of glass being pounded jolted Clark from his daze. He looked to the left and saw Azu, who had already escaped, pounding on the window from outside in the water.
Azu gestured upwards, signaling for him to swim to the surface.
Clark hesitated, glancing at Martha, then took a deep breath, diving underwater and following Azu's direction to escape from the bus.
Whoosh!
Azu and Clark emerged, gasping for air.
"We need to get out of here, Clark," Azu said, wiping water from his face.
"No! We have to save them!" Clark protested firmly. "Ms. McDonald and the others are still inside."
"That's not our responsibility."
"Godfather says every life matters. We can't just let them die."
Azu looked at Clark as if he were crazy. "And how do you plan to save them? You can't possibly do it alone."
"I can!"
Clark's eyes were fixed on the sinking bus. "We can push the bus to shore, Azu. Together, we can do it."
Clark's strength had been growing, though he still wasn't as powerful as Azu. He knew that Azu had always had superhuman strength, even as a child. Together, they could push the bus and save everyone inside.
"No, I can't. Dad said we can't reveal our abilities," Azu shook his head, looking conflicted as he bit his lip. "If we do this, we'll expose ourselves, Clark."
"But they're going to die!" Clark pointed at the bus, half-submerged, where the sounds of crying could be heard.
Ignoring Azu, Clark took a deep breath and dove under the water again.
The river was dark and icy, like a pair of cold, terrifying hands pulling him down. Clark swam to the back of the bus, gripping the frame and pushing with all his strength.
The water offered fierce resistance, but Clark gritted his teeth, summoning every ounce of strength to move the bus forward slowly.
As he struggled, a school of strange-looking fish swam towards him. In the dim green water, they emitted a ghostly glow. The fish, intrigued by the sight of a human, swam closer.
As Clark continued to push the bus, he suddenly remembered the legends of mermaids his godfather had told Azu about. Could mermaids look like these strange fish?
The fish brushed against him, and Clark instantly felt a wave of weakness wash over him, just like when he had touched Lana's necklace.
Momentarily stunned, Clark looked at the fish, glowing green in the murky water. Could these fish have the same kind of green stone in them?
Suddenly, the bus felt impossibly heavy. The freezing water surrounded him, and he tried to swim upward, but his strength was quickly draining away. He sank to the riverbed, his hands scraping against the sand and mud. He felt engulfed by darkness.
The cold water, the mud, the cries—they all pressed in on him like broken glass.
Clark tried to gasp for air but couldn't. His throat was tight, his lungs felt flattened, and tears brimmed in his eyes.
Bang!
Just as Clark's vision began to blur, he felt a hand grasp his arm. He forced his eyes open and saw Azu, holding his arm with one hand and shooing the fish away with the other.
Once free from the fish, the two of them swam back to the bus. This time, Azu stayed with him, and together they began pushing the bus toward the shore.
With Azu's help, the bus moved much faster.
Inside the bus, Martha held a young girl, ready to face her fate. The murky water had reached her head, so she lifted the girl high to let her breathe a few more precious gulps of air. As her breathing grew labored, she felt her consciousness slipping.
Just as she was about to give in, she felt the bus jolt. With a creaking sound, the bus slowly rose, and water began to drain from the cabin.
Gasping, Martha held the girl tightly. "Anna, are you okay?"
"I...I'm okay, Miss," the girl whispered.
"Thank God. That's all that matters."
Ms. McDonald glanced toward the back of the bus and froze at the sight in front of her. Clark and Azu were pushing the bus toward shore. Through a gap in the paint at the back of the bus, she and a few other first-grade girls could see it all.
"My God!"
Ms. McDonald thought she must be seeing things, unable to believe the impossible sight.
A few of the girls who had narrowly escaped death stared in shock, their eyes filled with fear as they watched the two boys.
Onshore, Old Horace was so stunned that he forgot to drop his spent cigarette as he saw Clark and Azu push the bus to safety.
Peter, the first responder, had called the Kent couple before he arrived. At the scene, police cars and ambulances were taking injured students to the hospital.
When Peter found Clark, the two boys were wrapped in blankets, drinking warm water.
"Dad!"
"Godfather!"
Seeing Peter approach, they immediately went to him.
"So…Clark, John," Peter glanced at the bus onshore, piecing together what had happened. He looked at the two boys and asked, "Did you save the bus? Are you heroes?"
"No," Clark replied quietly, glancing at Azu. "I'm not the hero. Azu is the real hero."